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[quote=Anonymous]Another Wash U alum here (mid-2000s).

Grew up in NC, but deep down wanted to get out of the Duke/UNC tradition, so I looked far and wide and came across Wash U. I was interested in its variety of undergrad specialty programs like architecture, art, engineering, and business combined with a solid liberal arts college.

I was at the top of my competitive public HS class (not like TJ, but on par with Woodson or Langley from what I understand about schools here), had a full load of AP classes, near-perfect SATs, a solid art portfolio and some exhibited pieces, community involvement, yadda yadda. Rather embarrassing to share all that, but just wanted to note that I was a pretty competitive applicant other than being an upper middle class white girl. My other top choices were Duke, Cornell, and UVA (admitted to all, with at least partial scholarships...didn't get into Yale). Wash U won me over when I visited. I loved the campus, the academic vibe and the possibilities of what I could study. The residential life seemed very welcoming, even for a prepped out southern girl who was clearly NOT from Chicago or NJ or Jewish. (Yes, the student body draws heavily from urban centers, mostly Chicagoland and NY/NJ/CT and to a lesser degree LA/SF. Also heavily Jewish, but by no means exclusively so.)

To me, it was the quintessential college experience. Idyllic campus, top notch facilities and access to faculty. Small classes for the most part -- even things like Western Civ probably had no more than 100-200 people in the lecture. The only detractor (to some) is the lack of Div I athletics. Football games are played on a field that looks like it could be a high school stadium. People may deride St. Louis as a city, but the campus allows you to hide from it OR live in it as much as you want. I was fascinated by it, and loved living off campus for a couple years in urban neighborhoods (grew up in small city/suburbs, so it was a great intro for me!). Developed an affinity for baseball (Go Cards!) and historic architecture. My husband and I now discuss that we would move back to St Louis but probably nowhere else in the Midwest if the opportunity came up.

I loved every minute of it, had so much flexibility and support in figuring out what I wanted to do -- met people who had completely different perspectives than myself. There's a Greek system on campus, which I was part of, but  it's not the only social scene. I continue to have friends and connections all over the country and the world thanks to my time at Wash U. The population does slant towards very upper middle class, but in my experience, was not 'stuffy' or 'pretentious.' There's no denying the school is expensive, but they also have a huge endowment. I had very little idea what the financial situation of most of my peers were other than they weren't struggling to afford food, etc. Some worked on campus, some didn't. Some had cars, some didn't. Lots had aid or scholarships, plenty didn't. I had a merit scholarship (would not have qualified for need-based), my husband had loans and need-based grants. I could be naive as I was one of the many from UMC backgrounds at the school, but really -- it was not an issue that I noticed while in school. The politics of the school lean pretty liberal; definitely not the Republican country club crowd.

I've usually found that most people I encounter in professional/academic settings now respond well to Wash U. Lots of classmates went though top tier law, med, and biz programs after graduation. Others got in with some of the notable companies/firms that are tied in or recruit at Wash U -- A-B, Enterprise, Boeing, 3M, Deloitte. Granted we graduated before the economy turned, but I didn't know of anyone struggling to find work. Many people moved back to East and West coasts; you're not 'stuck' in the Midwest because of the degree. Couple classmates on White House staff, working in finance, etc.

Hope your family has a great visit. Highly recommend staying/eating in the Central West End and/or Clayton. They border the two ends of campus and show off the different types of neighborhood and resources you can find in St Louis.

Happy to answer any questions if you have them, OP![/quote]

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